Former President Donald Trump lost a legal battle to overturn a $110,000 (£90,300) contempt of court punishment imposed by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump was compelled to pay the fee.
The sentence was affirmed by an appeals court after he neglected to hand over documents during an investigation into his business activities.
Mr. Trump was fined $10,000 daily for disobeying a court order.
The office of Ms. James is investigating whether Mr. Trump overstated the value of his assets.
As part of the civil investigation that Ms. James launched in 2019, Mr. Trump was required to turn over business documents or explain in detail how he attempted to locate the records but was unable.
A judge determined that he was in contempt of court for failing to comply the previous year.
Eventually, the former president agreed with the court ruling and paid the $110,000 fine, but then he appealed in an attempt to overturn the sentence.
Tuesday, a New York state appeals court found that the fine “was neither excessive nor otherwise inappropriate under the circumstances.”
“The courts have once again declared that Donald Trump is not above the law,” said Ms. James, a Democrat, in a statement released on Tuesday.
“He attempted to delay and obstruct our legal inquiry into his financial practices for years, but today’s judgment sends a clear message that there are repercussions for misusing the legal system. We will not be intimidated or deterred from seeking justice.”
Donald Trump, a Republican, has dubbed the investigation a “witch hunt” motivated by politics. Alina Habba, Mr. Trump’s attorney, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The complaint filed against Mr. Trump, his real estate company, and three of his children alleges that they exaggerated the worth of assets such as real estate in order to obtain more favorable terms from banks and tax benefits.
The attorney general seeks a fine of $250 million and a ban on Mr. Trump from functioning as a corporate executive in the state.
The case filed by New York officials is just one of the former president’s numerous ongoing legal issues, which also include a Manhattan criminal investigation into the Trump Organization’s practices, civil lawsuits over the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot, a criminal investigation into allegations he improperly retained classified documents, a defamation case brought by a journalist who claims Mr. Trump sexually assaulted her in the 1990s, and an investigation into allegations he obstructed justice during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Also Read: Family Life and Hefty Net Worth Of Bumper Robinson
